Understanding the Bible

Let me be the first to admit that I do not have a theological degree. Most religious scholars spend years of intensive study in seminary. My "seminary" consisted of sleeping through an hour of scripture study every morning throughout high school. My only legitimate claim to cannonical understanding is two-fold: first, I lived the monastic life for two years in a barren wasteland with my scriptures as my only reading material. Second, as Paul teaches us, true scritpural interpreation can only be had through the reception of the Holy Ghost. I claim that privilege so long as I live worthy of it.
That being said, I do know one fundamental thing about the Bible, and with my dearth of knowledge and experience in relation to the rest of the world, it distresses me that the majority of Christianity, and certainly most of the media-hogging ones, do not understand this one thing. Allow me to expound by example.
I once heard a man say that practicing a homosexual lifestyle was acceptable in the eyes of God. (Tangent: To my understanding, being gay, as in having homosexual tendencies, is not blasphemy, nor is it sinful. But living and acting on those impulses, and pursuing such a lifestyle is offensive to God.) It's fair to say that most of Christianity condemns the homosexual lifestyle because the New Testament clearly takes the stance that it is offensive to God and sinful. His rationale in justifying homosexuality, though, was that even though the Bible condemned it, it also condemns eating shellfish, and Christianity doesn't poo-poo that idea, now does it? Essentially, if X and Y are both bad according to Z, then if one becomes acceptable, the other must as well. Convincing logic, no? (Actually, not really, but it's still persuasive, I'll grant you that.)
I heard Obama taking the same kind of approach with some recent comments he made about scripture and its place among our mixed society. Now, unlike a lot of people, I don't expect my civic leaders to share my spiritual views or even claim a religion. So I'm still voting for the guy even though he's exemplifying the same tattered logic I've just outlined. It's the same logic that sectarians use to marginalize the Bible and downplay its importance or relevance. And unfortunately, it's also the argument many Christians use to reconcile their own thoughts and desires to the mandates of Holy Canon.
But I digress; on to my main point. It's a fundamental fact contained in the Bible that the prohibitions of the Mosaic Law (eating shellfish, wearing your hair a certain way, etc.) were completely eradicated with the Atonement of Jesus Christ, insofar as the doctrine of Christ did not repeat them. The end of the Mosaic Law was foretold as early as it was given, and Christ proclaimed as much during his ministry. The whole Bible centers around that distinction! I have no idea why more people don't understand this. It's extremely unfortunate and more than a little aggravating.
If we accept that fact (THE big fact of the Bible being Jesus' Atonement, if you ask me), it's perfectly fine for "the Bible" to condemn things like eating shellfish in the Old Testament because the doctrine of Christ does not prohibit it in the New. Whereas, things like murder or adultery are expressly prohibited in both laws, so in that sense, the Mosaic mandate is still in force by virtue of its extension in the doctrine of Christ. As to the homosexuality theory, I put living a homosexual life in the latter category as still being in force.
And for all of you who love calling people "intolerant" when we express our personal religious views, let me remind you that I have no problem with gay people. Many are my friends and they're wonderful individuals. These are my views and mine alone, I don't speak for anybody else or any group. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong and I'm willing to change. I don't hate anyone, I don't wish ill upon anyone. Save your outrage for Don Imus.

I Don't Know Which Makes Me Happier...

This...



or this...



Either way, this was one of the greatest playoffs of my life.

6/17/08. Boston 131, Los Angeles 92. Rock on.

The Greatest Game of My Life

A few things you should know so the following is put into proper context:
1. I'm a rabid sports fan. Despite the metro movement, I still think an innate sense of sports kinship exists within the male genome; that's just how it is. And as a sports fan, you always hear the older generation wax nostalgic about certain games, most of them playing on ESPN Classic by now. "I was at my friend Mikey's during Game X of the 19XX Finals/Super Bowl Whatever/etc. I was at X game and the atmosphere was unreal, X player was just amazing that night." This is the sorta stuff your dad or grandfather tells you while you go fishing together or while he dandles you on his knee.
2. I've never experienced a game like that, something that, 15 years from now, I'll recount to my kids. Yeah, I saw my Bucs win a Super Bowl in 2002-2003, saw the Boise State-OU game, watched BYU win a bowl game on a blocked field goal as time expired in 2007. I watched Jordan in his prime (still get chills when I see him shooting over a prostrated Bryon Russell). And up until last night, the 2006 Rose Bowl was the greatest, most transcendent game I had ever seen live. But the teams I really liked, my Mavericks, my Rangers, etc., were perpetual disappointments. Even the Bucs' championship wasn't all that dramatic (I don't know how to describe it). Even when my teams seemed like they were about to do something great or memorable, it would just come crashing down. The 2006 NBA Finals still haunt me when I watch a Mavericks game. As a sports fan, I've spent most of my life waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Now that that's out of the way, maybe you'll understand the gravitas of the following statement:
Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals was the greatest sporting event I have ever seen.
And it wasn't just the game. It was the circumstance. I was born in the mid-80's, so seeing a Lakers-Celtics finals is a real treat for me. I feel like I'm somehow getting a taste of history, what it was like back in the Bird-Magic-McHale-Kareem glory days. Granted, maybe the talent level and star power aren't as momentous as they were at that point in history, but seeing the green and yellow on the court is memorable in and of itself, in a way that the socialite-cum-sports-fan (yes, I'm talking to you, the blonde with the Gucci clutch texting during the game while wearing a $120 custom-made Rajon Rondo jersey) just can't fathom.
Game 4 found me in the middle of one of the most historic cities in the world sitting at a table at The Fours, across the street from an arena with perhaps the greatest sporting legacy in history. The bar was a sea of green and white, dimly lit and buzzing with an anticipation that you could almost smell. We talked sports and random crap for a solid hour before the game, during which time I mentioned to my friend, "The one thing I'm afraid of tonight is Lamar Odom coming to life. People have been calling him out all series and he could have a monster game."
Eight minutes into the game, amidst a cacophony of frustrated sighs, shouts, exaggerated gestures, and a spike in alcohol sales, I felt like Nostradamus. Odom was 4-4 from the floor and the Lakers had staked a dizzying 22-7 lead. The C's were down 24 during the second quarter and my only thought was that I could have watched the game from home and saved a few bucks on food. We were all despondent, collectively miserable. Sports is an interesting creature like that. It causes bonds between complete strangers that you would never see outside that context. Inside The Fours, though, we were all commiserating as a whole, apart in our own parties and booths, sure, but somehow sharing in a collective sense of disappointment and frustration.
The C's mounted a little run late, and then Jordan Farmar (who we all decided looks like a complete douchebag) hit a trey at halftime to put us down 18. We threw around the idea of leaving. One of my friends actually did leave. And as my friend Ryan went to the bar for another drink, I was reasonably sure we would have to keep him on suicide watch throughout the night. The bar was dead quiet.
If you don't know the story by now, the C's mounted a huge comeback to win the game, 96-91. Biggest comeback in Finals history. But what really made the night for me was the way the place changed as we watched James Posey nail a three from the corner, then Eddie House with a couple big buckets. Fists began pounding tables, cheers got louder with each successive basket. People lined the aisles, violating both the fire code and the concept of personal space, drinking and slapping five with complete strangers. Then we cut it to 6 and the bar was throbbing. We started pounding the tables on every defensive sequence, yelling "DE-FENSE!" as if they could hear us on the opposite coast, and screaming wildly with every point they scored. The clock expired and the bar erupted, as total strangers embraced like long-lost brothers, and we reveled in what we knew was a truly unique moment.
I like to think The Fours that night was an apt microcosm of the life and vitality you can only find in a place like Boston, where the ebb and flow of life is everywhere to be seen and heard. We were inconsolable and depressed one hour, exultant and excited the next. The entire night had me fascinated for exactly that reason, and I won't soon forget it.
But what I'll never forget is the night the home team actually came through, won the big one in dramatic fashion, and I watched it all, caught up in the swells of a dingy Boston bar on Canal Street by the Garden.
I love Boston.

Since Facebook "status" is a line or two at most...

I just had my birthday the other day which means, aside from the obligatory cake, gifts, and trio of rented midgets in leiderhosen following me around town and singing my praises, several old friends (and some people I hardly know) came out of the woodwork to wish me a happy 24th in the time honored tradition of posting on my Facebook wall. (Although I actually got a real-live email, a text, and a couple phone calls too! Who says we're getting too impersonal as a society?) Anyway, I realized that I haven't kept up with many of my friends as much as I would have liked, and a few expressed the same sentiment as well. After all, we're all busy working, studying, and so on, some of us are thousands of miles apart, etc. It's an understandable (however unfortuante) aspect of growing up. So I figured I'd take a little time and post my recent significant goings-on on my handy dandy blog for all the world to see (mostly because I'm legitimately sick of going over the monstrosity of a medical report sitting on my desk.
First off, for those of you who are exceptionally far out of the loop, I just finished my first year of law school, perhaps the most distressing, hellish, unnerving, yet wonderfully beautiful experience of my life. I moved to Boston to go to Boston College Law School, taking up residence with ten other Mormon dudes just outside downtown in a house in Cambridge affectionately referred to as the "crack house" by my local church congregation, due to its exceptionally dreary appearance (which is largely thanks to an absentee landlord who doesn't give a crap about the place). But it was insanely cheap, and for a law student on loans, cheap=awesome. My first year went all right, I'm about in the middle of the pack as far as grades go, and I was fortunate enough to land an internship with the Boston Public Defender's Office, doing assorted research assignments and errands. I'm learning a lot and loving every minute.
I also moonlight a few nights a week as a manager at an upscale desserterie called Finale, located in the Coolidge Corner district. Great place, great people, and enough chocolate to make Willie Wonka wet himself. I'm pretty sure more than a few people have come in healthy and left diabetic, but at least they have smiles on their faces. Really good stuff; if you're ever in Boston, definitely drop in sometime.
I love Boston. If houses weren't so expensive they required my firstborn and a pint of blood as collateral to a down payment, I'd say I found my new home. Yeah, winter can be a bit brutal, but if you can take Texas summers, you can take Boston winters like nobody's business. Besides, the snowboarding here isn't nearly as bad as everyone says it is. It might not be good per se, but it's not bad. Plus, there's just so much to do here it's mind-boggling. The amount of American history I pass just to get to work is staggering, Fenway park and the Garden are just surreal experiences, Boston Common is beyond a great place to hang out, and you could eat out at a different restaurant every day for 3 years and not get halfway through all the fare this town has to offer. Throw in some great forests, mountains, or beaches, many within 3 hours of town, and there's enough to keep you occupied here for a very long time.
And finally, the one thing everyone asks, yes, I have a girlfriend. Marisa and I have been dating for over 8 months now and it's been a great experience beyond what I could have expected. I wouldn't be nearly as positive about everything without her around, and I'm grateful we're together.
So there you have it my friends. Give me a shout if any of y'all wanna catch up at some point.